The Witcher Scene That Still Has Some Fans Scratching Their Heads

When "The Witcher" premiered on Netflix in 2019, it had a built-in fan base that was eagerly awaiting its arrival. While the series is different from the video game, the show would have the same characters, which enticed the gamers to give it a chance. And then there were the fans of the book series by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. They were excited and nervous about their beloved Geralt and the rest of the characters being transplanted on screen, with book lovers' usual concerns about adaptations. Lastly, there were the "Game of Thrones" fans, who were trying to get rid of the bad taste in their mouths from that series finale, and were hopeful "The Witcher" was the key.

But different expectations from different source materials create much more debate about a character's motives. Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) is often considered selfish by "The Witcher" book readers, with u/hanna1214 writing on Reddit that "She's written to be unlikeable in the source material. Ironically, the show managed to achieve this too whilst trying to get you to like her." Whereas u/Ryzien, a video game fan, writes, "if ever come across 'The Witcher 3' and see how Yennefer is portrayed there. You might love her." Amid the back-and-forth about Yennefer is a Season 1 scene that Netflix viewers still can't decide on. 

In Season 1, Episode 4 ("Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials"), Yennefer is riding with Queen Kalis (Isobel Laidler) and her baby daughter while listening to the queen complain when an assassin attacks them. Yennefer succeeds in portaling them to safety, but they're quickly tracked and found. After three more failed portals, the queen starts berating a weakened Yennefer, and she transports only herself to a field of flowers. Fans were confused, wondering if she'd deliberately abandoned the queen and child.

In a subreddit for "The Witcher," fans have decidedly different thoughts on Yennefer's actions, with u/Hybrid_Spaniel imagining a hilarious dialogue in Yennefer's head, writing, "My assumption is that her thought process was as follows: '***k this ****h.' Portals away. 'Actually, the kid was pretty chill.' Portals back, picks up kid, portals away." But not everyone agrees that she was planning to ditch them, with many thinking she was recharging her magic. "Since they were at a desert, there was no life energy around that Yen could draw chaos from," u/Chococonutty wrote. "So she needed to 'recharge' without being tracked down."

Fans are divided about Yennefer's intentions in this scene, with many also thinking that — as a super powerful mage — she should've fought instead of ran. Viewers may never be entirely sure of Yennefer's motives, except that she was devastated when the baby was still killed, even after she returned to save her.